Depth drive shifts in the fish and benthic assemblages of the South American Reef System.

The low-latitude habitats of the South American reef system have a high endemism and represent important stepping-stones due to the connectivity with Amazon and Caribbean reefs. We provide the first seabed mapping, and analyze the benthic cover and fish assemblages of these extreme reefs. Fleshy macroalgae (2-66% of cover), algal turfs (0-47%), and sponges (3-25%) are the dominant benthic groups.

Aquaculture facilities promote populational stability throughout seasons and increase medusae size for the invasive jellyfish Cassiopea andromeda.

Cassiopea jellyfish have successfully invaded several marine ecosystems worldwide. We investigated if Cassiopea andromeda grows larger (umbrella size) and if their populations are more stable in shrimp farms than in mangroves in the Brazilian coast. Our results show that jellyfish abundance is higher in the shrimp farm during the rainy season and in the mangrove during dry season.